August Public Square Media Features

Bulletin

August 14, 2023

Welcome to this month’s lineup of Public Square Media episodes. We hope this month’s curated episodes inform your thinking, spark meaningful conversations, and inspire civil discourse.

Family Bro Evening

In this month’s podcast trio from Family Bro Evening, hosts Scott and JC explore the little-understood Law of Consecration with Dr. Steven C. Harper, and tackle BYU’s dating culture in an insightful two-part discussion.

Steven C. Harper on the Law of Consecration

Two-part series on toxic dating culture:

Toxic Dating Culture Part-1

Toxic Dating Culture Part 2

Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree

Dive into the eerie world of Black Mirror in this episode, as Liz and Carl team up with Radical Civility for a captivating crossover. Unpacking the chilling “Hated in the Nation” episode, they dissect how social media’s hashtags can take a lethal turn. Explore with them the grip of online cruelty while discovering strategies to resist negativity and promote civil discourse.

Black Mirror: Hated in the Nation #deathtosocialmedia

Raising Family

Step into a world of transformation as hosts David and Linda chat with guest Jeff Carney, who teaches “7 Habits” to inmates, helping them uncover their divinity. Inspired by The Family Proclamation, Jeff shares his inmate interactions, unwavering belief in individual worth, and insights on shedding self-limitation. His perspective reveals how viewing ourselves as God does ignites profound change. Jeff’s wisdom culminates in the notion that purpose is discovered, not created. Prepare to be inspired to embrace your own potential through a divine lens and riveting conversation.

Inmates, Divine Potential, and Pepper

Sit Down with Sky and Amanda

In this episode, Sky and Amanda confront the controversial question: “What is a woman?” Delving into the contrasting perspectives of societal norms and divine definitions, they explore the disparities that arise. Their exploration extends to the intricate balance between valuing motherhood and the modern pursuit of equity, uncovering how societal shifts have sometimes led to the devaluation of this essential role. Join them for an enlightening journey.

The Redefinition of Woman: Reclaiming Womanhood

The Final Lesson of Peacemaking: Ask Better Questions

Health

Primum Non Nocere: A Berlin Museum’s Warning Against Silence

Gospel Fare

The Day the Blame Game Named My Sister

Our Culture of Contempt

Four Corners

What Past Attacks on Mormons and Catholics Teach Us About the Threat to Muslims

C.D. Cunningham

“Surviving Mormonism” and the Real Story of Institutional Harm

Are Surviving Mormonism’s stories typical? Comparative data show rare failures in an institution ahead on reform.

Dan Ellsworth

Church Choirs and the Sound of Belonging: Where Harmony Still Exists

Why do ward choirs matter? They build unity, model male-female harmony, bridge communities, and teach belonging.

Jeff Bennion

When Law Meets Love: Dallin H. Oaks’ Ministry to Sexual and Gender Minorities

Dallin H. Oaks pairs law with love, showing humility, outreach, and a call to hold truth with tenderness.

Jacob Z. Hess

Why are Some Latter-day Saints Hesitant to Talk about the Family Proclamation?

The Family Proclamation is beloved by members around the world. So why are some afraid to talk about it?

Cassandra Hedelius

Motherhood, Mortality, and the Myth of Control

A near-death experience at 39 leads a mother to challenge her perceptions of entitlement, faith, and mortality.

CATEGORIES

A Day to Remember

“Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” That sentiment by Winston Churchill has been deeply felt by many over the years. Do we feel it anymore today?

Netflix’s ‘Murder Among the Mormons’ uses the same stereotypes about our faith as the villain

Bites of the Best books: May 2020

Five books that contain sentences and paragraphs and pages full of unique ideas that move our minds, touch our hearts, and fill our souls with light.

LA Times Features Public Square Magazine

Several of the folks from Public Square Magazine were interviewed recently by Meredith Blake at the LA Times. She highlighted the ways that Latter-day Saints have reacted to the show Under the Banner of Heaven. Blake did an excellent job of representing our takes on the show. But we did have a couple of observations about the show mentioned in the interview that inevitably couldn’t make it, so I wanted to add those here for those who were curious. Jeb Pyre, the fictional detective portrayed by Andrew Garfield, is the main character viewers see the story through. But none of the four people being interviewed felt like Pyre was a good depiction of a thoughtful Latter-day Saint. Pyre is depicted as a well-established, thoughtful, fully-committed member of the Latter-day Saint community, yet the way he reacted to the information he learned felt less like the way an adult would respond to learning new things, and more like an adolescent response. Pyre’s character did resonate with some of us, from when we were teenagers. His character feels like it was written by someone who left the Church when they were sixteen, and remained mentally stuck in that place, and then tried to project those thoughts into a grown man, hoping to give them more validity. Consequently, the character feels flimsy. One of the other major observations from the interview was that we worried that the Church felt like it was part of the problem in the Lafferty murder when at the time, most members of the Church felt that they were part of the victims. These two men who had recently been excommunicated came back for revenge. In fact, the stake president was on their hit list. It seemed to place most Latter-day Saints on the opposite side of this issue than they felt at the time. The show’s writer, for his part, responded to these by engaging in the kind of motte and bailey techniques Cassandra Hedelius recently did a good job of identifying for us here at Public Square. Thanks again to Meredith Blake for her thoughtful interview.